Various percutaneous devices are implanted for long-term or permanent access through the skin. A typical percutaneous device is a blood-access device that may be opened and closed repetitively for dialysis purposes. Other percutaneous medical devices include infusion pumps, conduits for long-term delivery of drugs, devices for nerve stimulation, etc. In the use of these devices, it is important that movement of the skin relative to such devices be eliminated or restricted so as to reduce cutaneous trauma. Indeed, in many instances, it is important that the skin immediately adjacent to the percutaneous device heal and remain healthy to minimize the possibility of bacterial infection. At the same time, it is important that the skin around these devices have access to air.
Unfortunately, permanently implanted percutaneous devices commonly develop exit site infections which often necessitates removal of a functioning device. Relative motion between the device-tissue interface inhibits tissue attachment to the device, and the resulting poor seal allows infectious organisms to penetrate into the seal interface. Various approaches have been proposed to prevent the trauma noted above such as reinforcing the skin tissue around the opening so that the stress is concentrated elsewhere and theinterface between the percutaneous device and the skin is protected. However, reinforcement typically connotes surgical procedures which can be tedious and without assurances of success.